Mildred Bailey Tribute show update- I just produced a successful music show at the Coeur d'Alene Casino called A Tribute to Mildred Bailey. Mildred Bailey was a member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and a life-long friend of Bing Crosby. They helped each other get their careers started. Mildred's brother, Al Rinker, was in a duo with Bing Crosby when he was starting out and performed in vaudeville theaters in Spokane. Mildred introduced Bing to Louis Armstrong and Bing and Al arranged for Paul Whitman to hear Mildred at a party in Los Angeles which lead to her singing in Paul Whiteman's band on national radio for years and several number one hit songs.
The Mildred Bailey tribute show is for all ages and will be repeated at the Coeur d'Alene Casino on 11/15/2018 at the Coeur d'Alene Casino near Worley at 6 pm. The show features Cecilia Curtisbeautifully singing the role of Mildred Bailey and Gary A. Edwardsplaying the role of bandleader Paul Whiteman, performing 15 Mildred Bailey songs like Rockin' Chair with a seven piece band. Many of the members of the band perform with the Spokane Jazz orchestra. If you would like to help set up a concert for the Mildred Bailey tribute in Spokane email me at gedward@roadrunner.com
A Stitch in TimeUpdate– My partner Claude Solnik and actress singer Kathryn Anne-Marie are scheduling another public workshop in NYC on November 10thfrom 6 to 9 pm. Place to be announced.
Observatory Lounge JamsI have recently begun attending jam sessions on Tuesday nights about 8 pm at the Observatory Loungein the 700 block of Howard Avenue in Spokane, with mi amigo Orlando “Kiko” Sanchez, from Puerto Rico and recently Orlando, Florida where he retired from music production at Disney World. Also, my new manager Syad Shah is a great cook of Indian food and I will be reviewing his restaurant shortly. Also, my entourage includes my new friend and singer Caret from Chile. We are having fun reminiscing about mutual memories of Santiago, Chile where I lived in 1965 and 1966.
A Star is Born Review – We recently went to see this movie featuring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. I was surprised that it was so enjoyable. I like Lady Gaga and appreciate her talent much more now that isn’t dressing like a clown. Her versatility as a singer is remarkable. Bradley Cooper actually has a singing voice that is very much in vogue, raw and rough edges, matching the rocking style of the songs he sang. His charisma is memorable, also. Of course, the movie has its dark side and the actors carry this off too well.
Echo of The Tom Toms Update - On 10/22/2018 Joe Lyons and I went to the Spokane Indian Tribe Preservation Center and presented a seven DVD box set of all 21 video episodes of the Book by Frances LeBret entitled Echo of the Tom Toms that I edited and then filmed Joe Lyons reading all 20 chapters plus a personal introduction episode. The plan is to get a grant to donate the box set to tribes, schools, museums, libraries and anyone who is interested in the area as part of my mission to help people present their family’s and tribe’s untold stories.
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Yours,
Gary A. Edwards